Sectional conveyer



y 1934- w. E. CHANNELL 1,959,457

SECTIONAL CONVEYER Filed May 1, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I nventor WiZZaaeZ' CZIZ7ZZZ May 22, 1934.-

Filed May 1, 19 35 W. E. CHANNELL 'SECTIONAL CONVEYER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 22, 1934. w. E. CHANNELL 59,457

SECTIONAL CONVEYER Filed May 1, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 22, 1934 N u w ,959,457

UNITED STATES PATENT'POFFIICEY 1,959,457. sEo'rIoNAL CONVEYER Wallace ErChannell, Oakland City, Ind. Application May 1, 1933, "Serial No. 668,871

1Claim (01. 198-92) This invention relatesto means for conveying material from one point to another so as to eliminate the use-of trucks, railroad cars and'the like, and the general object of the invention is .to

'5 provide a plurality of endless conveyers with a which:-

Figure l is an elevation showing the invention in use for conveying material from an excavator or power shovel to adistant point.

Figure 2 is an elevation of one of the conveyer units.

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view showing means whereby the conveyer frame can be adjusted as to its height.

Figure 7 is a front view of the hopper used with the invention.

Figure 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a view of the clutch member.

In these drawings, the letter A indicates the several sections or units of the improved conveyer, each unit consisting of an elongated frame B and an endless conveyer belt C. The ends of the frame carry the large rollers 1 and 2 over which the ends of the belt pass and the frame includes the uprights 3, the top and bottom side members 4 and the depending hangers 5, connected with '45 the top members 4 and rotatably supporting the rollers 6 which act as supporting rollers for the upper reach of the belt. Some of the hangers are extended, as shown at 5 to support the rollers 6' which support the lower reach of the belt. The

frame may be adjustable as to its height by making the uprights telescopic, as shown at 3 in Figure 6, with a set screw 3" for holding the two telescopic members in adjusted position.

As shown more particularly in Figure 2, the

frame slopes upwardly and rearwardly from its front end at its top and thus supports the belt in the same position and the inclination of the belt can be adjusted by means of the telescopic upright members 3'; This enables the low end of one .unit or section to be placed under the high end of another section or unit, as shown in Figure 1,

so that the material will drop from the high and rear end of one unit upon the low forward end of the next unit and thus the material will travel from one unit to the other, and by providing the necessary number of units, the material can be conveyed any distance from the point'where it is placed on the first section.

If desired, I may form the rollers as shown in Figure 4, which shows the roller 1 having its center of reduced size and the roller gradually increasing in diameter to its ends so that the upper reach of thebelt will be of arc shape incross section so that the belt will more readily hold loose material thereon. This figuretalso shows a motor M connected to a sprocket 7 attached to the roller 1 by a chain 8 which also engages a sprocket on the motor shaft. Thus the belt is driven from the motor, though gears or the like can be used for driving the belt from any suitable 30 form of motor.

Figures 1 to 4 also show each conveyer frame as supported by the runners 9, each of which has its side edges and its ends turned up so that it can readily pass over rough surfaces. These run- 35 ners permit each unit to be readily moved from place to place.

If desired, the frames can be supported on wheels or endless tracks, such for instance, as those shown in Figures 7 and 8, which show the 0 endless tractor members 10 for supporting the hopper 11 which is adapted to receive the material from the excavator, shown in Figure 1 as a power shovel D. As before stated, this hopper is supported by the endless tractor members 10 and con- 5 tains a receptacle 12 having a bar screen 13 in its upper part through which the material passes as it falls into the hopper. The container 12 of the hopper has a sloping bottom 14 which slopes in all directions to the outlet 15, under which is placed a small endless conveyor 16 which has one end pivoted to a supporting part of the hopper and its other end is connected to a weighted cable 17. This conveyor is so arranged that it will convey the material passing through the opening 15 of the container 12 on to the first unit of the conveyer, composed of theunits A.

Figures 7 and 8 show a motor M supported by the hopper 11 and having its shaft 18 connected by the chain and sprockets 19 with an end of one of the rollers of the conveyer 16, and said shaft 18 also operates the endless members 10 through means of the chains and sprockets shown generally at 20. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the upper end of each chain 20 passes over a sprocket 20 rotatably arranged at an end of the shaft 18 and adapted to be connected to said shaft by means of the sliding clutch 21, the clutches being operated by the hand operated rod 22; This arrangement permits both of the endless members 10 to be driven from the motor M or but one of said endless members may be so driven. In the latter case, the device can be steered when taking a curve or the like.

As before stated, each conveyer unit may be provided with the supporting means made in the form of the endless members shown at 10 in Figures '7 and 8, and such members may be driven by a motor on the unit so that each unit will be self-propelling.

A downwardly and rearwardly sloping plate 23 receives the material from each belt C and deposits it on the nextconveyer.

This invention can be used in open pit mines, quarries, or in other places, for moving coal, rock, sand, and the like.

As an example of the use of this invention, it could be utilized in the operation of strip coal mines to handle the coal from the loading shovel to the permanent railroad tracks or to the mine tipple. Under the present methods now in use, the coal is handled, in the majority of cases, by narrow gauge cars and locomotives. These cars and locomotives are expensive to maintainand operate and the track is also an expensive item as it is constantly being moved from place to place. These conveyers would be made in lengths suitable for local needs and conditions and could be easily handled with small caterpillar tractors or could be made self-propelled.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A conveying apparatus comprising a plurality of frames of open-work construction, each frame including upper and lower side members and vertical members connecting the side members together, said vertical members gradually increasing in height from the front end of the frame to the rear end thereof, the rear ends of the upper side members extending beyond the rear ends of the lower side members and the rearmost vertical member and having their extremities bent downwardly,'a roller supported by the lower ends of said extremities, a front roller supported by'the front vertical members and located below the front ends of the upper side members, an endless belt passing over said rollers, 100 short hangers supported by the upper side members, rollers supported by said hangers and over which the upper reach of the endless belt passes, long hangers supported from the upper sidemembers, upper and lower rollers carried by the 105 long hangers, the upper rollers supporting portions of the upper reach of the belt and the lower rollers portions of the lower reach of the belt, ground engaging elements carried by each frame whereby said frames can be positioned with the 110 high end of one frame over the low end of another frame, and means carried by each frame for rotating the front roller thereof.

WALLACE E. CHANNELL. 

